Drop leaf table with leg control linkage



Dec. 18, 1951 B. HOPPE DROP LEAF TABLE WITH LEG CONTROL LINKAGE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed March 16, 1950 m E.. Qv vN mm mm on T u.- N v m o m w a m NH w u m .P n. f o N T i E W M m U. u m Nb QN HWWWWH! 3 w c fiJ w BY JMM ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 18, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed March 16, 1950 INVENTORQ BoRis HOPPE.

BY I W,

ATTOR/VEKS.

Patented Dec. 18, 1951 OFFICE DROP LEAF TABLE WITH LEG CONTROL LINKAGE Boris Hoppe, Kew Gardens, N. Y.

Application March 16, 1950, Serial No. 150,025

Claims. 1

This invention relates to table constructions and more particularly to tables of types having a used in rooms having quite restricted space.

With the usual drop leaf tables, the 'middle stationary portion either has to be wide enough and have leg structures spaced far enough apart so that the structure will be stable with the leaves up, without additional legs to supportthe leaves, or else relative complicated varieties of leg structures have to be provided to normally support the middle portion of the table, and with supplemental legs movable outwardly to support the drop leaf when in active position.

With the present invention a simple form of leg structure is provided, and so connected at its upper portions to both the stationary table top portion and to the drop leaf at positions adjacent the leaf hinge, that when the leaf is raised the leg structure will be concurrently moved from a supporting position beneath the stationary table top out to a supporting position beneath the drop leaf.

The invention is particularly adaptable for use with tables having leg structures simulating an attractive Duncan Phyfe type of design, the arrangement being such that whether the leaves are down or up, the leg structure will be such as to give the appearance of a table having at each side a single Duncan Phyfe type of leg, each with a pair of diverging foot portions.

As above indicated, the invention is adapted for tables having a drop leaf at either one side or at both sides; and for example, if the table has a drop leaf only on one side the opposite edge of the table top may be either supported by a conventional rigidly secured leg structure, or it may be hingedly connected to a wall, for example.

The invention has the advantage of providing a table which presents the attractive appearance of a conventional form of drop leaf table having leg structures of artistic design and a construction in which the articulated connections between the legs and the top and leaves are well concealed from view whether the leaves are up or down, so that there is nothing to present a mechanized or unattractive appearance, as is usually drawings which form a part of this specification and illustrate merely by way of example, preferred forms of the invention.

In the drawings, Fig. l is an end elevational view of a preferred form of table embodying the invention and showing the positions of the parts when the leaves are down;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the upper portions of the structure of Fig. 1 and showing the parts in the positions assumed when the leaves are up in active position;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view looking toward the under side of the top of the table and showing the parts in the positions assumed when one of the leaves is down and the other leaf is up; and

Fig. 5 is a somewhatgschematic diagram of an alternative embodiment of the invention and illustrating certain features thereof, as hereinafter explained.

Referring now to the drawings in further detail, the structure as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 comprises what will be hereinafter referred to as a table top I0, drop leaves as at I I and I2 being secured to opposite edges thereof as by hinges at I3 and I4. In the embodiment here shown. two leg structures as at I5, I5 are provided, and since the construction and operation of both are the same, the structure I5-only need be described in further detail.

. As will be apparent from Fig. 2, leg structure I5 may comprise an upstanding leg member I6 which is normally located in supporting position beneath the edge of the table top near the axis of hinges I4 and about midway along the table edge. At the lower end of member I6 a pair of diverging foot portions H, H are preferably provided, rigidly fixed at their ends to the lower end of the member I6.

f The upper end of member I6, asbest shown in Fig. 4, is rigidly secured to a transverse block as at 20 by screws 2I. The block 20 in turn is rigidly secured as by screws 22 to another block or strip 23 extending further in under the table. Of course, if preferred, the members I6, 20 and 23 might be suitably formed integrally as of metal, for example, as schematically indicated in Fig. 5. at I6a and 23a. shown in Fig. 4, is rotatably secured as by pivoting pins or screws 24; at either side to blocks as v at 25, which are rigidly affixed in any suitable the case with tables havin any form of shifta-ble leg structures.

Various further and more specific objects, features and advantages of the invention will appear from the detailed description given below taken in connection with the accompanying manner to the under side of theleaf I2 at regions close to the axis of the hinges I4. The inner end of the member 23 is attached by a link 26 to the under side of the mid portion of the table top III; that is, the link 26 is pivoted as at 28 to a block 29 secured on the under side of the table top, the other end of the link 26 being pivotally connected as at 30 to the member 23.

The above described connections between the upper end of the leg structure and the under side The member 20, as

' of the drop leaf and to the under side of the table pivotally connected at four corners. The portion of the under side of the table which extends fromthe pivotal connection 28 to the axis of the hingesside of such quadrangular linkage. Link 26 may be considered as one end portion of such linkage. The other end portion is comprisedin the block or blocks 25' which in effect serve to connect the axis of the hinges I4to the pivotal points 24.

It willbe apparent from study of the drawings that the above described quadrangular linkage is so constructed aridarranged that normally with the drop leaf l2 in its downwardly suspended inactive position, the leg structure I5 will be located in a supporting position beneath the table top but fairly close-to the hinge axis for the drop leaf (Fig. ll. 0n the other hand, when the drop leaf i2 is-graspe'd and turned up to active position the quadrangular linkage will act to shift the leg structure outwardly of'the edge of the table top to the position-shown in Fig. 3, wherein it will be noted the leg 'sti'ucture is located in a supporting position beneath the drop leaf and thus in a position-such that the drop leaf as well as' the table topwill' be'firmly supported in stable con- 'd'ition; "The "arrangement is thus such that although the drop leaf may be quitewide, and in fact too wide to b'esatis'factorily supported by leg structures such a's ordinarily used under the main part of the table top, yet, because of the shifting of the position of the leg structure, the drop leaf will be firmly supported by the same leg arrangemerit which normally supports the table top when the drop leaf isdown. The arrangement also avoids the necessity of supplemental leg structures which are-sometimes used for supporting drop leaves and which have to be swung in and out of positionas the drop leaf is manipulated.

In order to provide means for locking the leaf in the uppermost position, various simple forms of slidable or pivoted stop means may be used to' engage between the top portion of the leg structure and the under side of the drop leaf. For example, with the form of construction as-shown in Fig. 3', such stop means may comprise a block 49 carried by a slidable strip of metal 4| having a finger portion, this strip being'adapted to slide along the under side of the drop leaf and being held in position as by slottedengagement with screws 43 '(Fig. 4'); The upper end of the leg portion (6- as shown in Fig. 3, may terminate as at 44 at a point spaced somewhat'fromthe under side of the drop leaf to provide space for receiving the block 40 whichis normally biased toward the left as viewed in Fig. 3, as by a spiral spring 45. Since with the leaf up the spring 45 will normally hold the block- 40in between theupper end 44 of the leg and the under side of the leaf [2, the leaf will be locked securely against swinging down. But when it is desired to lower the leaf'it is merely necessary to grasp and pull outwardly the finger portion 42, thus withdrawing the block 411, whereupon'the leaf may be readily swung down and at the. same time the quadrangular linkage will cause the leg structure I 5 to be shifted to supporting position beneath the main part of the table top. i

If the above described quadrangular linkage were of such form that it would outlin a parallelogram, as maybe the case if desired, it will be apparent that in shifting the leg structure from one position to the other, that the portion of the table top at the hinge axis would have to be raised momentarily, or in other words, the edge of the table top would have to be tilted to some substantial degree to accommodate the length of the leg structure plus the length of link 23 when same are in vertical positions during the shifting. Accordingly, in order to minimize or if desired substantially to eliminate such tilting of the edge of the table when the leaf is raised, the linkage is preferably so made as best indicated in Fig. 5, that the leg structure will be initially tilted outwardly at its lower end as indicated at 50. Then after the leg structure assumes its new position under the drop leaf the connections are such that it will be restored to vertical position. It will be found that this result maybe accomplished by positioning the link 2611 normally at a greater inclination to the vertical than the line which connects the axes of the pivots at I401, and 24a. When the drop leaf l2a is being raised with this expedient, the link 23a will cause the inner end portions of the member 2311 to :beinitially swung downwardly morelrapidly' than the pivot point 24a, with the consequence that the leg structure is initially tilted outwardly as at 53, thus making it unnecessary to tilt the table top very much, if at all, to afford clearance for the leg structure at the fioorduring its shifting. That is, if the linkage arrangement were made according to a parallelogram, either the table top would have to be tilted up considerably or the lower end of the leg structure would have to assume the position indicated by dotted lines at 5B, and the latter would, of course, be impossible without raising the table because of interference of the lower end of the leg with the floor. Describing the preferred relationship of the linkage parts in another way, it may be said that the distances marked withletter reference letters on Fig. 5 should have the following relationship, viz.

If it is desired to'have the leg structure move from one position to another position parallel thereto, then the distances a and 17 should be equal. It will further be apparent that if it is desired to have the table top portion remain at the same height after shifting the leg structure as before shifting same, then the line connecting the pivot points, such as at Ma and 24a, should be at 45 to the vertical. Modified structures em bo'dying some of the principles of the invention are disclosed in my co-pending applications SerialNo. 641,739, filed January 17, 1946, and Serial No. 761,690, filed July 17, 1947, and now .U S. Patent No. 2,544,228. In the embodiments of those applications, the line corresponding to the above mentioned 45 line is at an angle considerably less than 45 to the vertical when the drop leaf is down, with the result that when the leg structure is moved from a supporting position beneath the table top outwardly to aposition to support the drop leaf, the elevation of the table top asa Whole will be considerably lowered.

If desired, as shown in Figs. 2 i104, the two end portions of the table top It] may be provided adjacent their edges with. depending panels or flanges as at 52, which extend down far enough so that. an observer in a normal position standing anywhere near the table will be unable to' see any part of the above-described linkage connections, and hence in normal use the entire structure may be so made as to appear to be of a conventional drop leaf table design without any special mechanism.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to particular preferred examples, it will be understood :by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made within the spirit and scope of the inven tion.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A table construction comprising in combination, a table top, a drop leaf hinged along an edge of said top, a leg structure which, when the leaf is down, is located inwardly of said edge in table top supporting position, said leg structure having a portion adjacent its upper end which extends along beneath the table top further inwardly of said edge, means affixed to the underside of the leaf and pivotally connected to said leg structure at a point which, when the leaf is down, is located below and inwardly of the drop leaf hinge axis, and a link pivotally connected at one end with respect to the underside of the table top at a point spaced substantially inwardly fro-m said hinge axis, said link being pivotally connected at its other end to said leg structure portion at a point spaced still further inwardly from such hinge axis, said pivotal connections being located in positions complying with the following relationship d c b c where d=the distance of the last named point below the level of the hinge axis, b=the distance between said second named point and a vertical plane passing through the last named point, c=the distance of said first named point below the level of the hinge axis, and c=the distance between the hinge axis and a vertical plane passing through said first named point,

the pivoted and hinged parts thereby providing in effect a quadrangular linkage which, when the leaf is raised, initially tilts the lower part of the leg structure outwardly and shifts the leg structure into supporting position beneath the leaf.

2. A table construction comprising in combination, a table top, a drop leaf hinged along an edge of said top, a leg structure which, when the leaf is down, is located inwardly of said edge in table top supporting position, means affixed to the underside of the leaf and pivotally connected to said leg structure at a point which, when the leaf is down, is located below and inwardly of the drop leaf hinge axis on a line passing through said axis at approximately 45 to the horizontal, and a link pivotally connected at one end with respect to the underside of the table top at a point spaced substantially inwardly from said hinge axis, said link being pivotally connected at its other end to said leg structure at a point spaced still further inwardly from such hinge axis, the axes of said pivotal connections all being substantially horizontal, the pivoted and hinged parts thereby providing in effect a quadrangular linkage which, when the leaf is raised, shifts the leg structure into supporting position beneath the leaf with said first named point then positioned on a line passing through said hinge axis downwardly and outwardly at approximately 45 to the vertical.

3. A table construction comprising in combination, a table top, a drop leaf hinged thereto, a leg structure having rigidly afiixed thereto adjacent its upper end a transversely extending portion beneath the table top, mean affixed to the underside of the leaf and pivotally connected to said leg structure at a point normally located below and inwardly of the drop leaf hinge axis, and a link pivoted at one end with respect to the underside of the table top at a point spaced substantially inwardly of such axis, said link being pivotally connected at its other end to said leg structure portion at a point spaced still further inwardly of such axis, the axes of said pivotal connections all being horizontal, and the pivoted and hinged parts thereby providing in effect a quadrangular linkage which, when the leaf is raised, shifts the leg structure including its said transverse portion outwardly to supporting position beneath the leaf.

4. A table construction comprising in combination, a table top, a drop leaf hinged to an edge portion thereof, a leg structure normally positioned beneath said edge portion in a position to support the table top, means fixed on the underside of the leaf and pivotally connected to said leg structure at a point which when the leaf is down is spaced somewhat below and inwardly of the drop leaf hinge axis whereby said means acts in effect as a downwardly and inwardly inclined link between the hinge axis and said point on the leg structure, another link further in under the table top and extending downwardly and inwardly from a pivotal connection on the underside of the top to another pivotal connection to the leg structure, the parts being so constructed and arranged that when the leaf is raised, the leg structure is shifted from a supporting position beneath the table top, outwardly to a position for also supporting the leaf, the effective inclination of said last named link when the leaf is down being less than the inclination of a line connecting said hinge axis and said point, whereby during such shifting of the leg structure" its lower portions will be initially tilted outwardly, thereby reducing the degree to which said edge portion of the top has to be raised to permit such shifting.

5. A table construction in accordance with claim 3 and having a stop means removably eng'ageable beneath the drop leaf and the upper portion of the leg structure for retaining the leaf in raised position.

BORIS HOPPE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

